A video of an autistic man has melted hearts after his sister shared a rare moment between him and his 18-month-old niece.
The clip, posted by Amber Emery (@amberemery28) on TikTok, shows her brother Alfie, 24, sitting on the couch with his arm around the toddler—something remarkable as he typically can’t tolerate physical touch.
Emery told Newsweek that she captured the moment while the pair were watching Disney‘s Frozen together.
@amberemery28
“My toddler doesn’t sit still often so I captured the moment as they were sitting so nicely together, then my brother also did the head pat to her which is often his way to greet her or gesture to her,” she said.
For Alfie, who usually avoids physical contact, his niece Roma is the only person who he willingly embraces. Emery captioned the viral clip: “Her protector.”
Emery explained that the bond between her brother and daughter started even before she was born. When Alfie found out she was pregnant, it piqued his interest.
“He asked lots of questions to prepare himself and when she was born, he really tasked himself to help look after her,” Emery said. “Because he cares so much, he puts his own needs aside for hers and there isn’t anyone else he has ever done that for.”
For some autistic people, touch can be overly intense or unpredictable, making it difficult to withstand even casual contact like hugs or pats on the back.
According to Autism Speaks, a non-profit autism awareness organization, people with autism might have sensitivities to sights, sounds, smells, touch and taste.
Others may also experience sensory hyposensitivity, meaning they don’t register touch in the same way.
Emery, who has two brothers with autism, told Newsweek that having autistic family members gives you a completely different outlook on life.
“I’ve had my fair share of experience as they are both completely different individuals. It’s not a one-size-fits-all and there’s always a new obstacle to overcome,” she said.
Emery’s clip has been viewed 3.3 million times and touched the hearts all over the internet.
“He loves that child with his whole heart,” said one viewer.
“It’s like she understands. Look at how she’s sitting!” added another.
Emery realized how touching the video was but couldn’t believe the response after she’d posted it.
“My phone went crazy and even a week later it’s constantly getting [a] response! I tried to reply to all the lovely comments and keep up with it,” she said.
“I think a lot of people can resonate with autism, whether it’s a family member, a friend or they are autistic themselves, so could resonate with how big a moment it was.”